Sunday, July 05, 2009

Don't you love weekends

Before I tell you about the “Jersey Boys” the stage show based on Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, I must tell you about an interesting experience during my morning ride.As I was travelling thru a neighboring bayside suburb of Mordialloc, I noticed a building that screamed history. I’d ridden past this building thousands of times in a sweaty riding frenzy with my mates to our end of ride coffee stop.

Now when I say that this “building” screams of history, this is not quite true – its just a power sub station.It’s what has been painted on all four walls that makes it significant.My photos, due to the lack of light don’t do the murals justice however here they are.Wall 1 shows an indigenous scene of the original tribe of our area, the Kurran band (a sub-tribe of the Bunarongs) who settled along the Mordialloc creek.Wall 2 shows the mouth of the creek looking towards the early pre-1900s Bridge Hotel, now a favorite hotel and restaurant of the locals.Wall 3 shows the permanent carnival that use to live on the parklands beside the creek. Although not a local when a child, I actually was reminded today of what it use to look like when my parents brought me here from the other side of Melbourne.Wall 4 is a serene painting of the creek with a row boat at its shores when it was a small village.How come after all these years of living in the area, I haven’t seen this before.How true the saying – stop and smell the roses.

A little further down the road on the beach is a bronze statue, not of an important person as many are, but a thoroughbred race horse. Our area use to have several racecourses, which today are housing estates.The famous Melbourne Cup winner Phar Lap spent many happy days being trained and frolicking on the beaches here. What was strange was that a local walker asked if I would like him to take a photo of me with the statue – he thought I was a tourist!!!!! Maybe I’m becoming a tourist in my own town and seeing home with new eyes.After a great triple shot coffee, I had to rush home to get changed, pick up Sue and our friends to see Jersey Boys in the city. The Princess Theatre was host to the show (where we saw Phantom of the Opera) and has its own resident spirit rumour has it.Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Sherry Baby, all the big hits were there with some of the gritty history narrated between the songs. A great entertaining show.I wonder what Tom Cruise and family thought of it in the upper circle. He’s here shooting a film located in Melbourne at the moment.As for us, we were in the very front row and not able to see below the kneecaps of the artists.Were the cast wearing shoes, I couldn't tell but the girls had very, very short skirts.Well to finish off, all I can say is – Don’t you love weekends?